Gerald Richard
July 8, 2015
New VCHS coach ready to work
July 8, 2015
Once a year, Thibodaux sits as the epicenter of the sports world – the place where headlines are made and celebrity athletes ascend to work on their crafts.
That week is now: The Manning Passing Academy
The 2015 version of the famous passing camp will take place from July 9-12 at Nicholls State University – the 20th overall year for the camp and the 11th in Thibodaux.
The camp is an annual hit for sports fans who relish having a pair of Super Bowl MVPs in the area for an extended stay.
The entire week is loaded with history – an idea that started when Denver Broncos’ All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning was still a college quarterback and his little brother and current New York Giants star, Eli was tossing touchdowns at Isadore Newman High School in New Orleans.
But it has progressed to become among the highlights of the summer slate for fans in the Houma-Thibodaux area.
THE CAMP – 20 YEARS RUNNING STRONG
The Mannings love football. They are absolutely enamored with the sport. From father Archie to sons Peyton to Eli and even less-heralded Cooper, the father and three sons love all of the intricacies of their beloved sport.
So with that in mind, the Manning family decided 20 years ago (when Peyton was still playing collegiately at the University of Tennessee) to create a passing academy. The purpose of the Mannings’ brainchild would be to teach passing techniques and other skills to aspiring young quarterbacks of high school playing ages.
From its modest early beginnings, that camp has blossomed and has become a go-to spot for young signal callers from grades 8-12. Players from all over the country have enrolled in the MPA each year, and enrollment this week is expected to easily exceed 1,000. In its earliest days, the MPA was a quarterback-only affair. It has since blossomed and has become a place where receivers, halfbacks and pass-catching tight ends can polish their skills.
The camp has become famous, thanks in part to its acclaim and All-Star cast, but also its time on the calendar – a time when there are not many sports going on in the mainstream landscape. That allows some of the top reporters in the country to head to Thibodaux, which gives the city and Nicholls’ campus A-block headlines on ESPN, Fox Sports and other sports news companies.
Elite offensive coaches join some of the best college quarterbacks in the country to create a top-notch staff that keep campers returning year after year to absorb the knowledge dished out on the practice fields.
This year’s batch of college counselors have not yet been announced. It will be tough to outdo last year’s group, which was headlined by 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, Florida State standout and No. 1 Pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, quarterback Jameis Winston. In previous seasons, quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel, A.J. Mc-Carron, Andrew Luck, Matt Barkley, Zach Mettenberger and several others have also served as counselors throughout the week.
But according to Archie Manning, the MPA isn’t about the big names, nor the celebrities. He said last year that the camp will always remain what it was in its earliest days – one designed for the kids. He said that the meat and potatoes of the academy will always be to polish high school quarterbacks before they finish their summer vacation and head back to begin their next varsity seasons.
“Some people get the wrong idea that this camp is about blue-chip, five-star athletes,” Archie Manning said last year. “But that’s not what we’re about. We really just want to take those high school quarterbacks and receivers and help them to get better and talk to them about the passion of playing football so that they can enjoy the high school experience. People get enamored by some of the names and some of the figures that we have here to work with the kids, but it’s not a celebrity camp. We are here to work with the kids and to mold them into better passers. That’s what we’ll always be about.”
THIBODAUX? IT JUST FEELS LIKE HOME
The MPA has had several homes in its lengthy existence. But legislation in the past few years has seemingly guaranteed that the camp will be in its current home for years to come.
The passing academy started in 1996 and had a one-year stint at Tulane before moving to Southeastern Louisiana University for eight years (1997-2004). The camp moved to Nicholls State University in 2005 and has been here ever since.
Being at a small regional college like Nicholls presents challenges sometimes for the camp, as rain has flushed the MPA from grassy areas and into the campus’s parking lots in some years – an obstacle that the Manning family says is unfair to campers who pay good money to attend the event.
Those problems are inevitable, but have been attacked head-on at the statewide level. Gov. Bobby Jindal attended MPA two years ago and announced that the state would give $1.2 million in capital outlay dollars to Nicholls so that the university could improve a 20-acre strip of land that the camp uses as practice fields – boosting its drainage system, electricity and grass surface.
Jindal said the money was donated in an effort to keep the camp in Thibodaux – a place that he said deserves the Manning family’s prized event because of the annual hospitality the city shows to make the event go off without a hitch.
The governor also said that the camp was a boost to the state’s economy, as the camp boosts hotel and restaurant revenues during the week.
“This investment is good for the academy, but it is also good for Nicholls,” Jindal said when presenting the money in 2013. “This is a great investment for Nicholls. By improving these fields, this allows the academy to continue to come here for many years to come.”
For Nicholls, it’s an obvious win-win situation, but for the Mannings, it is, too. Every year, Archie and his three boys tout the hospitality shown to them in Thibodaux, a welcoming environment that the family says keeps them coming back year after year.
The Manning family has also expressed thanks to Nicholls for giving them the keys to the Thibodaux campus for the past several years as the camp has continued to grow.
They said that the help from Louisiana was a “Godsent” and a huge sign of commitment that will keep things moving forward into the future.
“They treat us well here,” Peyton Manning said. “The city of Thibodaux and the surrounding area has been tremendous in helping us make this a special event. We love coming here, and we really appreciate the support that we have from Nicholls State University”
“It’s awesome,” Eli Manning added. “We’ve been coming here a while, and every time, it seems like the event just keeps getting better and better. The people in this area are very supportive and they always do their absolute best to go above and beyond their calling to make sure that we feel at home while we are here.”
AIR-IT-OUT A PASSING SHOWCASE
For the casual observer, most of the MPA week is unattractive – nothing more than a bunch of unknown high school quarterbacks lined up on a grass field slinging bullets to receivers.
But on Saturday night, things begin to heat up and the stars come out to shine. The public’s payoff to the event is the annual Iberia Bank and Papa John’s Air-It-Out Passing Challenge, which allows fans to see Peyton and Eli showcase their talents in a slew of passing drills. The event also features a passing challenge that features some of the best college quarterbacks in the country competing for bragging rights in an accuracy contest.
Some of the best returning college quarterbacks in the country will compete in the challenge, which generates revenue for the Nicholls State University athletic department.
This year’s Air-It-Out Passing Challenge will take place on Saturday night at John L. Guidry Stadium, and it will begin at 6 p.m.
Tickets for the competition cost $12 bought online or $15 at the door.
To buy tickets online, fans may visit www.geauxcolonels.com.
Last year’s contest featured elite NFL Draft picks like Teddy Bridgewater, A.J. McCarron and Aaron Murray.
Who will win this year? We’ll know in a week.
Regardless, some of the best college quarterbacks in the country will be on hand to give it their best shot.
New York Giants quarterback and New Orleans native Eli Manning fires a pass during the 2014 Manning Passing Academy, while older brother Peyton (at left) stares down the field. The annual passing camp will take place on Nicholls State University’s campus this week.
